Ranking the WORST Free Agency Moves by Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles

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Ranking the WORST Free Agency Moves by Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles https://youtu.be/7O9KW4t5TVM  Ryan Poles has made some big moves for the Chicago Bears, but not all of them have paid off. In this video, we break down the worst free agency decisions made under his leadership. From overpaid contracts to questionable signings, we analyze the deals that didn’t work out and their impact on the Bears' future. Did Poles make the right calls, or will these moves haunt the franchise? Watch now to find out!   ---------- #ChicagoBears #RyanPoles #NFLFreeAgency #BearsNation #NFLNews #BearsOffseason #BearsRumors #BearsFreeAgency #NFLMoves #WorstSignings #FootballAnalysis #BearsFrontOffice #NFLMistakes #FreeAgencyFails #NFLContracts #BearsDecisions #ChicagoFootball #NFLGM #BearsTalk #SportsBreakdown   ---------- **Fair Use Disclaimer**    This video contains copyrighted material used under the fair use provisions of Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act. It is for purposes such as criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, and research. No copyright infringement is intended.

Transcript

00:00The Chicago Bears have had their fair share of ups and downs in free agency.

00:04Some signings have been brilliant, game-changers that helped build the team and push them toward

00:09contention. But others? Absolute disasters. Today, we're breaking down the worst free agency moves

00:17by Bears GM Ryan Poles. Buckle up, because this one's gonna sting. Now, let's get one thing

00:23straight. Ryan Poles has made some solid moves. The guy has an eye for talent, and his long-term

00:28vision for the Bears is clear. He landed D.J. Moore in that blockbuster trade, secured Montez

00:34Sweat to shore up the pass rush, and made key draft picks that will define this franchise for

00:40years. But no GM is perfect, and free agency is where mistakes can be costly. When you miss in

00:46free agency, you waste cap space, fail to improve the team, and sometimes even disrupt locker room

00:52chemistry. Some of these moves looked promising at first. Some were straight-up head-scratchers

00:57from the beginning. But all of them ended up being disappointments. So let's go through the

01:01three worst free agent signings made under Poles. We're talking about moves that flopped hard,

01:07wasted money, and made Bears fans question what the front office was thinking. Starting with...

01:13Number three, Nate Davis. Three years, $30 million. This one was rough, folks. And what

01:20makes it worse? The warning signs were there. Inside Hallis Hall, there were voices saying,

01:25hey, this guy might not be a great fit. But Poles ignored them, cut the check, and signed

01:31Davis anyway. The result? A complete disaster. Davis barely practiced. He was constantly dealing

01:38with injuries, missed significant game time, and when he did play, he struggled. The Bears brought

01:43him in to be a key piece on the offensive line, a unit that desperately needed stability, but

01:49instead they got a player who could never stay on the field. When he was active, his performance was

01:53underwhelming, the line still struggled with protection, and Davis never lived up to the

01:58expectations that came with his price tag. Here's the thing about offensive linemen. You pay them

02:04good money because they're supposed to be reliable. Consistency is everything. A lineman doesn't need

02:11to be flashy, but they need to show up and do their job every single snap. Davis didn't do that.

02:18And for 30 million dollars, that's inexcusable. When a lineman fails, it doesn't just hurt the

02:24quarterback. It cripples the run game, throws off the timing of an entire offense, and forces

02:32play callers to adjust in ways they shouldn't have to. There were times when the Bears offense

02:37simply couldn't move the ball because the offensive line was so inconsistent. Davis was supposed to

02:44help solidify that. Instead, he became a liability. You can't build a playoff caliber team with weak

02:50links up front. Davis was one of those weak links, and it was painfully obvious. Number two, Lucas

02:58Patrick. Two years, eight million dollars. Now, eight million dollars isn't a massive contract in

03:04today's NFL, but when you get basically nothing in return, it stings. Patrick was supposed to be a

03:11bridge center, a steady veteran presence, someone who could mentor younger linemen while providing

03:18solid, dependable play. Instead, he got hurt, played out of position, and when he was finally healthy,

03:23he was flat out bad. The Bears signed Patrick, expecting him to anchor the offensive line,

03:30but he barely played in 2022, appearing in only seven games, and none of them at center, the

03:36position he was actually brought in for. Injuries sidelined him, and when he was finally available

03:41in 2023, he was ineffective. Missed blocks, blown assignments, a lack of chemistry with the rest of

03:48the line, just about everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Offensive linemen are the

03:55backbone of any good football team. If your line is weak, your offense is going to struggle. The

04:00Bears already had issues with consistency up front, and Patrick was supposed to help fix that. Instead,

04:06he became part of the problem. There's a reason the Bears moved on from him so quickly.

04:13He simply didn't deliver. And let's not forget, Patrick was brought in because of his familiarity

04:19with offensive coordinator Luke Goetze's system. That was supposed to be an advantage. Instead,

04:24it meant nothing. The offense never found its rhythm, and Patrick's struggles were a big part

04:29of that. It's one thing to miss on a free agent signing because a player doesn't fit the scheme.

04:34It's another to bring in someone because of the scheme and watch them still fail. That's a front

04:41office nightmare. And now, the worst of them all, the biggest free agency flop under Ryan Poles.

04:50Al-Quadun Mohammed, two years, $10 million. What a disaster. Now, when Poles signed him,

04:57it kind of made sense. He played under Matt Iberfluss in Indianapolis. He was familiar with

05:03the system. Maybe he could be a solid rotational piece, a dependable pass rusher who could help

05:08the Bears get after the quarterback. But that didn't happen. Not even close. Mohammed played

05:15one season, one sack. That's it, $10 million, one sack. That's not just bad, that's brutal.

05:22He was supposed to provide depth and contribute as a veteran presence on the defensive line. Instead,

05:27he was invisible. He was outplayed by younger, cheaper players.

05:32The Bears saw enough after just one year and cut him loose. Pass rushers are valuable in today's

05:39NFL. If you can generate consistent pressure, you can change games. Look at teams with dominant

05:45defensive fronts. They're always in contention. The Bears needed that kind of impact and

05:51Mohammed was supposed to help. Instead, he was a total non-factor. This was a move that

05:56wasted both money and a roster spot. And here's what makes it worse. Mohammed wasn't a pass rushing

06:01monster even in his best seasons. He had six sacks in 2021 with the Colts. But those numbers didn't

06:08exactly scream game changer. That was a career year and polls still handed him a multi-year deal.

06:16That's the kind of bet you can't afford to lose in free agency. Look, free agency is a gamble.

06:21Sometimes you hit big, sometimes you miss, but these moves, they weren't just misses. They were

06:26massive mistakes and they set the team back when they needed to be moving forward. Every dollar

06:32spent in free agency needs to be maximized. Every roster spot is valuable. When you sign a player

06:38and get nothing in return, it's a major setback. Ryan Poles has had his fair share of wins and

06:44he's clearly building this team with a long-term vision. He's made strong draft picks and landed

06:49some key players through trades. But if the Bears want to compete for a Super Bowl, they can't afford

06:54free agent busts like these. Every signing has to count. Every move has to help push this team closer

07:00to being a contender. So what do you think? Which free agent signing hurt the most? And do you trust

07:07Poles to get it right moving forward? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and let's talk

07:13about it. And don't forget to like and subscribe for more Bears content. We've got a big season

07:19ahead and you won't want to miss it.

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